Spring cushion construction



May 19, 1931. w. B. FOSTER 1,805,817

SPRING CUSHION CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 22, 1929 ATTORNEYS Fatented May 19, 1931 UNITED STATES IPATENTfOFFlCEW 1 ILLIAM B. frosrrnrt. or circa, new YORK, AssrqNoR r0 rosrrnnnnornnns mm FACTURING COMBAINY, or urica 'nnw YonK, A CORPORATION or" nEw YoRx srnme CUSHION cons'rnuc'rron Application filed August 22, 1928. Serial No. 387,684. I

My present invention relates to spring approaching cushion constructions andparticularly to. the mechanism of construction for fastening the catch springs thereof together or to the border rod.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a spring structure of the class described which is ofnew and improved form, simple and economical in construction, readily applied and durable and efficient in operation and use.

A further purpose is to provide a fastening device wherein a stirrup is usedto straddle one or more of the wires of a coil spring and another wire of an adjacent coil spring or the rod of the border frame with'said parts of the spring or border rod held in the stirrup by means of a locking wire. 7

Further purposes, and advantages of the invention will appear from the specification and claims herein.

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of several springs of a spring cushion illustrating several embodiments of this invention.

Fig. 2 is aperspe'ctive View on an enlarged scale of the stirrup 10shown with its leg portions projecting upwardly. Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views on asomewhatenlarged scale on lines 337 and 4-4 of Fig. 1. i

Fig. 5 is a'similar sectional view on lines 55 of Fig. 1. I v Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional View on lines 66 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the adjacent parts of two coiled springs of modified form in the position theyoccupy immediately before the stirrup is assembled thereon.

*Fig. 8 is a similar top view of the parts shown in Fig. 7 after the stirrup and locking wire are placed in position.

Fig. 9 is a sectional View of a modified form of joint.

Referring to the drawings in a more detailed description and first to the form shown inFigs. 1 to 4, it will be seen that thespring structure illustrated is of the usual type wherein a plurality of'coiledsprings 10 are placed on end sideby' side in a number of longitudinal and transverse rows with the portion of each two adjoining springs to be fastened together. In the springs illustrated, the extremity .11 of the top coil 12 is not wrapped around or knotted to the over-lapped portion of the end coil 12 r as the fastening device herein used to connect ad acent springs together is particularly f adapted to connect, at the same time, such loose or unknotted endll'to the'adjoining portion of its own end coil. v I A It will be noted, however, that myinvention is not limited in its usefulness simply to a joint where such an unknotted end is to be connected to its own end coils. For the purpose of definiteness and convenience in de scription, the joint A between the horizontal pair of springs in Fig.1 farthest towards the top of the page of drawings will be first. described. At thisjoint itcwill be seen thatthe righthand springbrings to the joint a single wire forming a part of the circle of the top coil of that spring, butth'at the left hand bottom of'said legs. Thisstirrup is applied to the joint referred to' in Fig. 1 by placing the'stir'rup over the said three wires, 11 and 13 of the left hand springand the, wire 18 of the righthand spring with the legs 16 outside of the, outer two .of-said three wires. Then 7 the locking wire 19. is passed throughthe 'two holes 17 of the stirrup belowthe three wires 13, 11 and 18. p The wires 13 an-d-18are'thus securely.enclosedwithin the stirrup l l and the wire 11 is secured from vertical displace- ,ment within the stirrup; In order, however,

to vprevent the extremity 11 from projecting too far through the stirrup'or from slipping back andbecomingdisengaged from the stirrup, sai-d extremity 11 is formed in the shape ,of;a hook 2O as appears more particularly in Fig. 4. This hook is conveniently and preferably formed bybending the wire of said...

extremity up from its previous plane and then bending the free end down beyond the level of the plane of the preceding portion of this wire. The opposite sides of this hook will then prevent the extremity 11 from either sliding too far through the stirrup or from being drawn entirely out from the stirrup. It will be understood of course that the distance between the locking wire 19 and the inside of'the top of the stirrup is only slightly greater than the diameter of' the separate wires to be enclosed within the stirrup.

As shown in the drawings, the fastening wire 19 passing throughjoint A will pass through several such joints in that row of springs and assuming that a border'rod as 21 is used with the spring construction said fastening wire will extend out to the joints B formed between the outer portion of a top coil 12 and such border rod 21. At such an edge or border joint 13 a similar shaped but usually somewhat narrower stirrup 14 will be used with its two legs straddling the wire 12 of the top coil of the spring and the border rod 21. The looking or fastening wire 19 will pass through the perforations in the legs of this stirrup and to complete the permanence of the joint the end of said wire 19 at the outer side of the spring structure will be bent preferably downwardly and inwardly forming a hook 22 as shown in detail sectional view, Fig. 6, which illustrates this joint B.

It will be seen that the flat top 15 of'the stirrup 14 forms a smooth upper surface which will not wear when brought into contact with fabric or other covering placed on or above the spring structure. The length of the locking wires 19 between the several joints served by one such long wire 19 afford a further supporting surface for the spring structure. This supporting surface afforded by the wire 19 is further increased if, as is shown on the two left-hand coiled springs, a long locking wire 19 is used on the longitudinal as well as the transverse rows of springs.

Fig. 5, beinga side elevation of the joint C in Fig.1, shows a modification of my invention in that the joint is completed by the use of a short locking wire 19. The length of this locking wire is just sufficient to pass well through the stirrup and have its opposite ends 23 turned down and preferably directly inward to prevent said locking wire moving from the stirrup.

The joint D of the two right-hand springs in'Fig. 1 illustrates the use of this joint where only one wire from each of thesprings is brought into the stirrup. The joint is completed satisfactorily and the stirrup is prevented from becoming displaced relative to the two springs through the horizontally ex-.

. tending long locking or fastening wire 19 used to extend through this joint and one or more other joints in that row of springs.

Fig. 7'shows'a further embodiment of this construction and particularly one where the stirrup and joint formed therefrom are positively prevented from displacement upon the end coils of the two springs connected thereby. I This is accomplished by forming in the outer coils of said springs relatively straight outwardly located offset portions 24-24 each connected by short step portions 25to the general circle of the top coil 12 and of these springs. The offset portions 24 will be a little greater in length than the width of the stirrup 14 to be used thereon. This joint will be completed and will operate in other ways the same as the joints heretofore described, but the step portions 25 at either end of the offset portions 24 will positively prevent the stirrups from ever working around upon the coiled springs. In this construction short locking wires 19 can therefore be used with perfect safety.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 6 the form of joint using a long locking wire is preferred as such a long wire aids in keeping any individual joint in proper alignment and in proper place upon the connected springs.

In the modified form of joint shown in Fig. 9 there provided an offset portion 26 similar to the offset portion 24 in Figs. 7 and 8, but the portion 26 is offset below the plane of the top coil of the springs and the connecting step portion 27 in this construction extends downwardly from the top coil. The step portions 27 will in anobvious manner prevent the stirrup from slipping around upon either top coil.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. In a spring cushion construction, the combination of a pair of coiled springs one of which has the extremity of its end coil free of the overlapping portion of said end coil but provided with a downwardly opening hook, an open-ended stirrup having its legs straddling the said hooked extremity and the adjacent portion of the end coil of both springs and a locking wire extending through said stirrup legs and between the sides of said hook to close the opening of said stirrup and retain said wires in the stirrup, the sides of said hook preventing escape of said extremity from said stirrup and said locking wire by lengthwise movement of said extremity. 1

2. In a spring cushion construction, the

combination of a pair of adjacent coiled springs one of which'has the extremity of its end coil free of the overlapping portion of said end coil and provided with a two-sided hook, an open-ended stirrup having two legs said legs straddling the said hooked extremity and the adjacent portion of the end coils of both springs, and a locking wire extending transversely of the stirrup and through the legs of said stirrup beyond the wires of said springs and between the sides of said hook,

and closing the opening of said stirrup, whereby the wires of said springs are retained in said stirrup, contact of the sides of said hook with said locking wire preventing endwise movement of the hooked extremity from the said locking wire while the base of the stirrup holds the connecting part of the hook closely upon said locking wire.

3. In a spring cushion construction, the combination of a pair of adj aoent coiled springs one of which has the extremity of its end coil free of the overlapping portion of said end coil and provided with a two-sided hook, an open-ended stirrup having two legs each provided with a perforation therethrough near its free end, said legs straddling the said hooked extremity and the adjacent portion of the end coils of both springs and a locking wire extending transversely of the stirrup and through the perforations of the legs of said stirrup beyond the wires of said springs and between the sides of said hook and closing the opening of said stirrup whereby the wires of said springs areretained in said stirrup, contact of the sides of said hook with said locking wire preventing endwise movement of the hooked extremity from the said locking wire while the base of the stirrup holds the connecting part of the hook closely upon said locking wire.

In witness whereof I have aflixed my signature, this 10th day of June, 1929.

WILLIAM B. FOSTER. 

